What Is God's Will For My Life? (a very small e-book with helpful comments for a very big question)

That's the question we ask when we want clarity and certainty about currently confusing circumstances or confirmation about hopes and ambitions for the future. I think God is pleased when we inquire of him what he wants for us. For anyone that has ever prayed The Lord's Prayer, we ought to be seeking answers.

But how do we get answers?

The original question can presume that you have no idea what to do next, or that your future is a complete blank. Or it implies that you know what you would do but you are not sure what God would have you do, as if they were two very different courses of action. But we can know quite a bit already about God's will when we start praying. 

The Scriptures obviously contain many stories, teachings, opinions, instructions and commands of God about his will. Becoming a student of Jesus opens up the Scriptures for you, helping you discern what God has already revealed to humanity about his will.

By becoming familiar with the Scriptures as a student of Jesus, you can begin to more confidently discern what is God's will for your life. As you begin to see the arc of God's covenantal work in the world, you put pieces together about what God is doing and why. Scripture teaches us that God is in a covenant relationship with Israel and all who follow Jesus. For those in a covenant relationship with God through Christ there are many promises and pledges made to us. There are also many words of wisdom for how to live and what to live for. These instructions deal with the here and now as well as the looming future.

Maybe you've been reading the Scriptures as a student of Jesus and you're still not sure what to do or think or feel. That's where finding a mature Christian friend or pastor can be so helpful. Connecting with others who have spent much time and energy studying the Scriptures as a wise student of Jesus can be a way forward in clarity. Both by their experiences in life and prayer they can help you sort out decisions and the will of God. They will provide more perspective for your situation - not only theirs but the perspective of others that have shaped their life. These conversations can open up the Scriptures to you in new ways, helping you see more clearly what God's will has always been for humanity, and what it is for today.

In letting Scriptures and other mature students of Jesus helping you discern God's will for your life, you are drawing upon experience, history, tradition and reason. Clearly the emotions of the moment can cloud your thinking, so letting others use reason to help you sort out conflicting ideas and confusing experiences is a gift. But sometimes the logical analysis leaves you paralyzed, and a friend can help you tap into those inner desires and passions that you believe come from God. But this is within the context of how God has worked through the years, the decades and centuries and even millennia. We need that perspective and wisdom to better understand God's will for life. 

You might have been hoping there was an easier way to know God's will for your life. Can't you just pray to God and he can just tell you the answer? If he knows the answer, and it's a good - even crucial answer, what kind of God would make you work for it or withhold it and make you wonder and wait? If God knows everything, and he sees so many people messing up, why doesn't he make his will more obvious and easier to access? Wouldn't people do the right thing more often if God was more obvious and effective in communicating his will?

That's where becoming with familiar with the Scriptures will give some insight into how humanity works. The people of Israel experienced God in mighty ways, they knew that their leader Moses was a friend of God, and yet they doubted God, rebelled against him, grumbled against him and tested him, despite the obviousness of God's provision and presence.

So it was again with Jesus - God in the flesh to teach us his will. Even when God became one of us, he was still misunderstood and mocked for his instructions about his will. And so we must learn from history and human reality. 

The context for asking God what his will is for your life happens within the context of a covenant relationship. A covenant is where two people (or in this case God and Israel and the disciples of Jesus) commit to a relationship with certain terms. God initiated this covenant with Abraham, solidified it in stone with Moses, and demonstrated his determination to keep it and even renew it with Jesus.

The deal of the covenant could be summarized like this: God's part of the covenant is to bless Abraham and all his descendants (which includes all those who believe in Jesus). God will bless them, he will make them a blessing, and he will bless the world through them. What was Abraham and his descendant's requirement for the covenant relationship? To be loyal to God, to follow his instructions, and be faithful to the covenant.

So what is God's will for your life? To let God bless you, that you might be a blessing, and so the whole world can be blessed because of you. How awesome is that life?! 

This obviously also means that God's will for your life includes wholehearted loyalty to Him and no other idols, that you will diligently understand and follow all his instructions for life, and that you will persevere in keeping your end of the covenant relationship.

In other words, love God, love your neighbor, and never give up on either.

Maybe you were looking for more specific guidance on particular current issues or complex problems affecting future situations? 

In light of what we've just reviewed, let's be honest about the nature of what we tend to ask God when we seek his will. At one level we want assurance that we will be making the right decision for our success. But we ask out of fear. 

We're afraid of making the wrong decision. Think about it: you are coming to God in fear that you will make the wrong decision unless he makes clear what he wants you to do. You then in your fear put the future decision in God's hands, relieving yourself of responsibility for it - if you make the wrong decision it's God's fault for not being more clear, and if it goes well, then clearly God answered your prayer.

But what is God's will for you? To trust him! How can you learn to trust him if you are asking him about your future in fear of failure?

We ask God's will for assurance in making the right decision. But, honestly, sometimes we ask God to reveal his will for issues and decisions that are pretty much about our personal ambition and accumulation of material goods that provide either more status or security. "Dear God, should I buy this house? This car? Go to this school? Take this job? Have kids? etc." If you want to know God's will so that you can get help in order to achieve the American Dream, then you may be on your own. God wants to bless you with something bigger and better then the American Dream. He has his sights on the Kingdom. 

For a lot of people I know, asking God for direction and help is an act of desperate trust. It comes from lives that are trying to survive their way through the world as best they can, hoping God can maybe help them out once in a while.

All I can say is that God wants to bless you and use you to bless others. It may not solve all your problems or always make everything easier, but God's will is definitely rooted in love for you and loving others through you. What do you want in your life? Success? A life of ease? Less problems? Happiness? or Love? For those that want more love in their life - and the power and energy and vision to love deeply and richly - that's what God's will is ultimately for everyone. 

At one level, it doesn't matter where you live, where you work, where you go to church, what you accomplish. If it is not done in love for God and neighbor, it will come to nothing. If you aren't seeking God's kingdom ahead of your own, you won't want God's will to prevail in your life. 

But at another level, everything you do and decide matters. People matter. Life matters. Our world matters. Our society matters. Where civilization is going matters. How your city and country is doing matters. This is our Father's World, and we believe that Jesus is the Lord and King, working to set everything right. Our work as students of Jesus is to learn from him in how to lead and love in this world that he is rescuing from evil and redeeming for good. It's here that every decision matters. But rather then creating more pressure to do the right thing, it opens up a freedom known as grace and peace. 

God's will is prevailing in this messy world through his love as demonstrated in Jesus. It's a messy world. If we're trying to avoid the mess and set ourselves up for success, we may asking God for direction that he's not interested in guiding. But if we're willing to let God use us to enter into the mess of this world - of our family and neighbors - with a commitment to upholding our covenant relationship of love, we will know what God wants for us. Once we gain clarity on the bigger picture, it will shine as light into our murky atmosphere.


Here are some wrap-up observations:
1. God will never reveal his will in such a way that it diminishes your trust in him. Whatever answer you are seeking from God, what he shares will then require more trust in him, not less. If you are looking for assurance for the present or future so that then you can go on your merry way and not really take God into consideration for awhile, well then you'll just have your luck to go on.

2. God wants you to dig deep and give more love to the people he has placed in your life. Whatever decision you are considering, is it motivated by love, will it enable love to flourish, or will it just help you get what you want.

3. Jesus is our best illustration of what God is doing in the world and what his will is for individuals and humanity. Bypassing Jesus and his life in the Gospels and just asking God for information - well it won't work. If you are looking for clarity for God's will in your life, but you aren't interested in learning more from Jesus, you misunderstand the point. God's will for you is rooted in following the way of Jesus. Will what you're asking for enrich your following of Jesus or just enrich you?

4. The Spirit of God that filled Jesus is present within us. We are not asking a God who is far away on the other side of the universe what he wants us to do now or next. We are pondering a decision with God who's Spirit is within us, making it's home in us. This Spirit of Jesus is who we are learning to let rule and lead our life. Which then means our questions about direction are more about submission then support for our ambitions. Which is it for you?

5. God's will for your life is that you will become more holy. When it comes to morals and ethics (money, power, sex, appetites, desires, lusts, vows, etc), God commands you to be holy. Not much squiggle room there. You'll know that you're resisting holiness when you're looking for loopholes. Or confident that you're more holy then everyone else. We can't become holy without God. He's the one who makes us holy. So if you're asking for wisdom on complicated and confusing situations, know that God wants to help you do more then just make the right decision, he wants you to desire holiness. 

6. God's will for your life is to be full of thanksgiving in all circumstances. Every good gift is from God. When you begin to see how much good is already in your life, you'll see how generous and present and active God is already in your life. Which increases your confidence about what ever is next.  Odds are you're confused about the present or near future because you're unclear about God's presence in the past. Begin to identify all the good that has been given to you - acts of grace from God that you didn't deserve but are from the one who is Love. (and if you think you're the main one responsible for what is good in your life, well then you probably won't like what God wants you to do next anyways...). As you begin to discern how big and beautiful this covenant relationship with God is becoming, how can you not be grateful always? 

7. God's will for your life includes being a blessing for your neighborhood and city, your friends and all the people Christ has connected to you. If you get the answer you are looking for, who all will be better off because of that gift? God's will for Israel was to bless the world. God's will for the Church (all Christians) is to join Israel in blessing the world through Christ. Is the direction of your life one of blessing for your community? Do the day to day decisions and desires result in you bringing more good gifts to the people in your life, or mostly just for you? Is the holiness and gratitude that is pouring out of you like a redemptive blessing for your neighbors and family and friends and enemies?

Look: with a God like this committed to blessing you and blessing the world through you as he transforms you into a blessing, you can't go wrong! 

He takes all your mistakes and sins and unholiness and he is the one that transforms it - that's what he promised to do. With the help of God's Sprit we daily choose loyalty, we can moment by moment choose obedience, and as we choose to persevere, we both learn our frailty and thus deep dependence on Jesus. But this adds a new kind of energy and hope and power from the Spirit of Christ which makes new things possible.

And isn't that what we really want when we wonder what is God's will for life? 

A few more details:
* If you ask God what his will is for you in a specific situation, he will probably not tell you the answer in the manner or time-table you desire. But when and how he does it will be brilliant and on time. Never early though, nor late.

* God wants you to know and do his will for your life - he will test you to see if you really want to know it. The harder you fight for it, the more you'll value and do what you asked God to tell you. The bigger the issue, the longer you'll need to spend in prayer with God about his will. If you want the answer, put in the time and energy.

* God answers by his Spirit through Scripture, other Christians, experience and circumstances, reason and emotion. It can be a slow dawning of realization or a sudden burst of insight. It might be a whisper or a clear command of direction. It's up to God on how he communicates it. We can trust that he never has a problem making his will known.

* When you ask God to reveal his will, remember that he is your Father who is working for his will to prevail throughout all the universe, including planet Earth. He's hearing your prayers and a few billion more. And he's working to answer them all at the same time, knitting together an unfathomable number of hopes and dreams so that His Kingdom comes in their lives. Our lives.

Remember: what ever direction you want for your life, the answer he provides is somehow tied up with the prayers and future of others. Keep that in mind when you wonder why it's taking so long or why it turned out the way it did. The answer God gives is impacting many more lives then you envisioned.

So there you go. Now you know more about what is God's will for your life. But, you probably still have more questions. Post them below in the comment. I'd love to interact with you about them. 

How To Pray & Read the Scriptures

The motivation for this topic centers on the work of spiritual formation. Spiritual formation is the word we give to cooperative work of being shaped, formed by the Spirit of God to participate in the new possibilities of our life now. The work of spiritual formation includes praying, reading the Scriptures, and praying the Scriptures.

If we believe that the Scriptures are a gift from God, just as the Spirit is, then we ought to be shaped by the Scriptures, through the Spirit. And for those of us that have entered into the work of prayer (yes, it is work), we realize that prayer comes form deep within our own spirit.

Jesus summarized his teachings and that of the Hebrew Scriptures with this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And love your neighbor as yourself. Spiritual formation is the interior work of learning to love God and your neighbor by letting the Spirit of God work on your heart, soul, mind and strength.

We can let God influence us, our heart, soul, mind and strength when we pray and read the Scriptures, and especially when we pray the Scriptures.

As Christians, we believe that the Same Spirit of Jesus makes it's home in us. When we choose to believe that God has grace-fully forgiven us of our sins, we open ourselves up to God himself, His Spirit, the Same Spirit that empowered Jesus. That Same Spirit of Jesus, when it is at work in us and through us, makes all sorts of possibilities come to life - for healing, for hope, for renewal, for a future, for truth, for beauty, for freedom, for love.

So how do we pray? How do we read the Scriptures? How do we pray the Scriptures so that we are shaped by the Same Spirit of Jesus?

One lesson isn't enough to fully answer those questions. But I'll provide an overview here. In posts to come I'll lay out more details on how to pray, how to read the Scriptures and how to pray the Scriptures.

For reference, here are links to other lessons I have done on How to Pray and How to Read the Scriptures.

Here I want to introduce how to pray the Scriptures, since that gets us right into the heart of spiritual formation, while also teaching us some more about how to pray and how to read the Scriptures.


To start, we'll use a Psalm. Ancient Israel's hymnbook for worship was the book of Psalms. They would regularly chant their way through the Psalms, their way of singing worship to God. But for them, singing and praying the Psalms was the same work. We can read the Psalms, but we can also pray the Psalms (and sing them if you really want to!).

For example, let's start with Psalm 32 (I'll include the first few verses here, you can see the whole Psalm by clicking on the link):

1 Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

2 Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Read through it slowly. Then pray through it by personalizing it - bring to mind a sin you feel guilty about, that you desire forgiveness. Imagine Jesus standing before you, pray as if he is there listening to you. Or, select a phrase that resonates with you, and then repeat that phrase as a prayer throughout the day.

As you read through the Psalm, ask God to bring a word or idea to your heart. Enter into a conversation with God about what you are reading and praying.

Question God about it, ask for insight, probe what God might be wanting you to consider, be convicted about, by inspired by.

And especially: what do you need to do in order to help answer your prayer? Again -  let God's spirit guide your steps forward as you act based on your praying the Scripture.


To pray through this Psalm is both easier then imagined and harder. It's easy to say the words, to repeat them, to imagine Jesus listening to your prayer, to ask God questions.

It's hard to focus, to trust that God hears and speaks, to enter into the prayer authentically. It's hard to memorize the prayer, to repeat the phrase throughout the day. It's hard to center yourself, to ignore disturbances, to shut out the noise in your head.

But when you don't know what to say, especially when you feel guilt, when you feel shame, when you feel burdened by your past sins and mistakes, use Scripture to put words in your mouth and heart.

These Scriptures have been used for prayer for thousands of years - there is something rich, enduring, and earthy about them. There may be a sense of formality to them, but that can be refreshing compared to the hesitant muttering we may offer up as a prayer.

For other Psalms, try Psalm 1, or Psalm 22 and Psalm 23. Maybe even Psalm 116, 117 or even Psalm 118. Psalm 139 is a classic.

The Lessons of St. Francis by John Michael Talbot

This book jumped out at me a few weeks ago as I browsed the Little Turtle Library. I’ve read some books on Saint Francis but liked the idea of this one putting his practices to daily use. At first glance, The Lessons of St Francis by John Michael Talbot looks like any other self-help guru or new age mystic showing you the path to inner peace, and success, reminding me of How To Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci or something of that nature.

I quickly found it to be surprisingly accessible. The author, himself a long-time Franciscan, breaks the book into sections on how to utilize Saint Francis’ teachings in day to day life, fleshing it out with inspirational quotes from historic figures as well as providing prayers to recite.

 His writing style and overall message contains a lightness lacking in most heavy-handed Christian writers. This slim book (250 pages) is full of simple and practical advice on how anyone can transform their lives by following the model of Saint Francis’ life, writings and teachings.

In the introduction, Talbot warns us that once canonized, a saint’s life induces hero-worship rather than inspiration. People tend to think that they can’t take something of so celebrated a life and apply it to their own. The first section of the book entitled ‘Simplicity,’ is in the beginning for good reason: We as Americans consume and desire far too much. Here, he gives us some guidelines, even providing the reader with questions to ask themselves on how they can make changes.

One of the things that make Francis so relevant today is the fact that for the first half of his life, he lived a carefree life of privilege. The son of a wealthy merchant, soldier, musician and poet, Francis was set to inherit the family business when he came down with a mysterious and debilitating illness. During this time he had his visions of Christ and slowly began to transform. He got healthy and decided to shun the secular life, yet dissatisfied with corruption of the Catholic Church and the papacy, decided to find his own order.

Although most of us would never go so far as to give up our lives and live in the wilderness with no possessions, we can seek to understand and apply some of Francis’ teachings into our own lives.

In the chapter on Simplicity the author stresses the difference between want and need in our lives:

“Food is a need. But a medium-rare T-bone steak smothered in onions is a want.
Clothing is a need. But a designer suit with matching shoes is a want.
Housing is a need. But a split level ranch house with a semi-attached garage, walk-in closets, and three bathrooms is a want.”

He goes further, providing the reader with questions to ask themselves about their choices in food, clothing and shelter and how their perception can cause more problems.

In the second section of the book, ‘Joy,’ there’s a story from Saint Francis’ life where he, a friar and two novices walk across a hill on a snowy day when Francis and the friar began dancing and rolled down the hill playing in the snow. One of the novices later spoke with Francis, embarrassed by his outburst. Francis warned him that it was impossible to survive in a cloister without cultivating joy. Soon after, the novice packed up and left. We can’t take ourselves, our lives and the world around us so seriously that we can’t break out into dance or song every now and then.

This relates to the chapter that is the heart of this book, ‘Humility.’ Francis believed that humility, if practiced in earnest would lead to obedience to God’s will. He sincerely wished to live as closely to Christ’s example as possible, believing that Christ’s ministry to be the “condescension of God.”

He wrote:

 “Among the other things the kindness of God has generously granted me, it has granted me this grace that I would obey a novice of one hour, if he were given me as my guardian, as carefully as I would obey the oldest and most discreet person.”

Saint Francis is one of histories’ most mythologized and romanticized figures, but reading through this book can give you knowledge that even we average folk, can, without donning a frock and retreating into the wilderness can take a step in St. Francis’ path.

by Matthew Behnke

A Lenten Prayer

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Prayers to End the Day

You may want to write these prayers down somewhere and have them by your bedside. Pick one to either memorize or to at least pray each evening, or all of them, or randomly.

Or, even better, you can purchase The Divine Hours: Pocket Edition. It's a collection of daily prayers for morning, noon, evening and night. It'll help you pray the Scriptures and focus on God throughout the days and weeks.

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May the Lord Almighty grant me and those I love a peaceful night and a perfect end. Amen.

Almighty God, my heavenly Father, I have sinned against you, through my own fault in thought, and word, and deed, in what I have done and what I have left undone. For the sake of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, forgive me all my offenses; and grant that I may serve you in newness of life, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake, Amen.

Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; for these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, whom you have prepared for all the world to see: a Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people Israel. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever more shall be. Amen.

A Prayer for Ash Wednesday

If you were going to spend the day praying, here are a few suggestions:

* Focus on praying at some point in the morning, mid-afternoon, and in the evening. You can either set a specific time, or just be mindful of a general time frame.

* Instead of praying "made-up-spontaneous-prayers" (which have their place), I'm suggesting you pray this scripted prayer, a modified version of the Lord's Prayer and the Great Commandment. When the disciples asked Jesus about how to pray, this is what he taught us.

* When you do pray, repeat the prayer several times - a form of meditation. As you do this, focus on a phrase, on a word that seems to lodge in your head and heart. The repetition lets the prayer settle deeper within you, sparks reflection and imagination.

* This isn't a legalistic religious task, but a spiritual formation opportunity. We are spiritual beings, and specific kinds of prayers and reflection open us up to the Way of Jesus and the direction of God's Spirit. 

Here is a suggested prayer for Ash Wednesday:

Our Father in Heaven,
Holy is your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done:
To love the Lord our God
With all our heart, soul, mind and strength;
And to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Amen.